Another Univision Exec Wooed Away by Telemundo

In a move that could signal the first in a series of programming defections, producer Luca Bentivoglio is parting company with the Spanish-language Univision TV network and will go to work for its chief competitor, the Telemundo network.

Bentivoglio’s move follows that of Joaquin Blaya, the former president of Univision who last month jumped ship to assume the presidency of Telemundo shortly after a group of investors led by A. Jerrold Perenchio reached an agreement to buy the Miami-based Univision network and the 13 stations it owns for $550 million.

Since his departure, Blaya has wooed away half a dozen other Univision executives to the Miami-based Telemundo. Bentivoglio is the first producer to make the shift. He is the leading independent producer of Spanish-language entertainment programming in the United States.

“Obviously this is a business of relationships and I’ve always had a good relationship with Joaquin Blaya,” Bentivoglio said in a telephone interview Thursday. “When he jumped ship we started talking.”

Bentivoglio has produced and hosted “Desde Hollywood (From Hollywood),” a celebrity interview show patterned after “Entertainment Tonight,” since 1988. In 1990 he began producing “Fama Y Fortuna (Fame and Fortune),” a magazine-style show patterned after “Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous.” He also produced “Tu Musica (Your Music),” a music video show that ran on Univision from 1988 to 1991.

He will continue to produce “Desde Hollywood” and “Fama Y Fortuna” through December, but this week marked his final episode as host of the popular “Desde Hollywood.”

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Bentivoglio’s shows, whose pace and overall style resemble their English-language counterparts, are targeted primarily to younger Latinos, who traditionally have been less likely to turn to Spanish-language media than their parents’ generation.

At Telemundo, he will produce and star in a weekly ensemble comedy show called “Salvese Quien Pueda,” translated as “Run for Your Life” and patterned after “Saturday Night Live” and “In Living Color.” It is scheduled to debut in October. He will also produce a children’s program, tentatively titled “22, Calle del Sol (22, Sun Street),” targeted at an audience of 7- to 13-year-olds and set to begin production in January.

His first Telemundo production will be a one-hour special called “Herencia Hispana, 500 Years (Five Hundred Years of Hispanic Heritage),” set to air Oct. 4.

“Luca is one of the most well-known Hispanic talents in the United States and he’s one of the innovators of Spanish television,” said Cynthia Hudson, manager of programming for Telemundo. “He’s been able to combine the things you need to attract the youth-oriented crowd--the high-tech, quickly paced production style--but also get the older women to fall madly in love with him.”

Underlying Bentivoglio’s decision to go to Telemundo was his uncertainty about the fate of Univision shows like his that are produced in Los Angeles.

Many people at Univision and within the Latino community are worried that if the sale goes through--it is currently under review by the Federal Communications Commission--the new owners, who include broadcasters in Mexico and Venezuela, will drastically reduce U.S.-produced programming in favor of their own foreign imports.

Upon leaving Univision, Blaya was openly critical of the impending sale, saying he believed it would mean the end of the 50-50 ratio between foreign- and U.S.-produced programming that was established under his tenure.